Ontario Agriculture

The network for agriculture in Ontario, Canada

The CFFO Commentary: CFFO Convention to Focus on Building Agriculture through Sustainable Profits

By John Clement
October 21, 2011
 
Farm meetings generally contain a lot of material regarding management techniques or marketing opportunities. But without sustainable profits throughout the entire farming venture, management techniques alone simply won’t keep a farm in the black on the financial ledger.
 
With that in mind, the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario has chosen“Building a Better Agriculture … through Sustainable Profits” as the theme for its annual Convention. To be held in a little less than a month’s time, the annual event features a speaker’s program that will deliver an overview of how to achieve sustainable profits, focusing on the importance of working with the environment, working with others in the food chain, and doing all the important things right on the farm.
 
The keynote address will be given by David Sparling, a Professor and the Chair in Agri-Food Innovation and Regulation at the Richard Ivey School of Business, University of Western Ontario. Before joining Ivey, Sparling was a professor at the University of Guelph where he served as an Associate Dean and Executive Director of the Institute of Agri-Food Policy Innovation. Sparling has been president of a farming company, an agri­business insurance company and a biotechnology start-up. He is actively involved in shaping agri-food industry strategies and government policies.
 
Dr. John Kelly is currently the Vice-President of Erie Innovation and Commercialization with the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Growers’ Association. Kelly holds a B.Sc. (Agr). and Ph.D. from the University of Guelph and a Master of Science from the University of Alberta. Throughout his career, he has been focused on innovation development and implementation, actively advancing products and technologies in agriculture, food, biotechnology, pharma and the bioeconomy sectors.
 
Bryan Gilvesy is the proprietor of the Y U Ranch, an award winning ranch located in Norfolk County, Ontario. Gilvesy is Chair of Norfolk ALUS project, an emerging program that envisions farmers as key environmental solution providers. Gilvesy is a recipient of the 2009 International Texas Longhorn Association Breeder of the Year Award, 2008 Canadian Agri-Food Award of Excellence for Environmental Stewardship, 2007 Premier’s Award For Ag Innovation and the 2006 Toronto Food Policy Council Local Food Hero Award.
 
Patrick J. Lynch is an independent crop consultant, columnist and speaker, giving advice to growers for 25 years. Lynch is a member of the Ontario Weed Committee, the Ontario Soil Management Research Committee and is part of a research team for the improvement of soil management in Ontario. He is also the recipient of the T.R. Hilliard Award in 1992, the Cargill Innovators Award in 1991 and the OAC Outstanding Service Award.
 
The banquet speaker is Ann Voskamp, an internationally acclaimed blogger, homeschooling mom of six and columnist with DaySpring. Her blog has garnered numerous awards and has international readership of nearly 6,000 readers a day. Voskamp is also the author of an award-winning geography series for children and is a global advocate for the poor, traveling for Compassion International.
 
We welcome your attendance and participation at our event. For more information about the CFFO Convention, which will be held on Wednesday, November 16, at the St. George Banquet Hall in Waterloo, please contact our offices at 519-837-1620, or check out the CFFO’s website at wwww.christianfarmers.org.
 
John Clement is the General Manager of the Christian Farmers Federation of Ontario. The CFFO Commentary represents the opinions of the writer and does not necessarily represent CFFO policy. It can be heard weekly on CKNX Wingham and CFCO Chatham, Ontario, Woostock and Brantford and is also posted on the CFFO website:www.christianfarmers.org/index.html. The CFFO is supported by 4,350 farm families across Ontario.

Views: 50

Comment

You need to be a member of Ontario Agriculture to add comments!

Join Ontario Agriculture

Agriculture Headlines from Farms.com Canada East News - click on title for full story

Bayer introduces Vyconic soybeans in Canada

Vyconic soybeans is a new trait technology providing growers with tolerance to multiple herbicide active ingredients

Syngenta Canada celebrates International Women’s Day 2025

???????Syngenta Canada is celebrating International Women’s Day (IWD) on March 8 by reflecting upon our progress towards gender equality and by honouring some outstanding individuals. “We have a strong commitment to advancing women’s interests within the organization and the broader agricultural sector,” says Stacey Redford, Head of Human Resources. “Progressive initiatives and policies are in place to support women along their career journey, including a recent internal survey to identify career challenges and uncover growth opportunities.” Since 2019, the Canadian team has achieved significant progress, increasing female representation from 40% to 51% of its workforce, with women now comprising 45% of its Crop Protection Leadership Team, and 40% of the customer-facing teams. In honour of IWD 2025, the Syngenta Canada Women and Allies Network (SCWAN) nominated six individuals for their leadership, resilience, and inspiration. Congratulations to:

Ottawa Sets Aside Funding in Case of ASF Outbreak

The federal government has earmarked more than $567 million to aid domestic pork producers in the event of an outbreak of African Swine Fever. A statement Friday said the money will go toward supporting hog producers should there be a closure of key export markets for Canadian pork products and live pigs due to an ASF outbreak in either Canada or the US. While Canada remains free of ASF, a single detection of the disease in Canada would close export markets due to international trade regulations and import restrictions imposed by trading partners, the statement said. Canada is heavily dependent on pork and live pig exports, and the closure of key export markets would be devastating to the pork sector. It would also cause hog producers to incur extraordinary costs and force them to make difficult decisions about depopulating their herds, it added. “With this funding commitment, we’re making sure we support hog producers in the event of an outbreak, while we work to contain the vir

Map: February Brings Little Drought Relief for Ontario

Heavy snow in parts of Ontario in February has apparently done little to shrink current dryness and drought in the province. According to the latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor, 56% of the agricultural lands within the central region – which includes both Ontario and Quebec - were being impacted by abnormal dryness or drought as of the end of last month. That’s little changed from 55% at the end of January and 58% in December but remains well down from 87% in November. Precipitation during February varied significantly, with southern Ontario and southern Quebec receiving 60–150% of normal. Southern Ontario saw multiple storm systems bringing above normal precipitation, which contributed to some of the highest recorded snowpacks in Hamilton and Toronto, helping ease drought severity, the monitor said. Abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions were reduced across much of southern Ontario. However, pockets of moderate and severe drought remained, particularly

Canada expands air transport agreement with Senegal

Expanding Canada's international air transport agreements allows airlines to introduce more flight options, providing passengers and shippers with greater choice and convenience, while creating new opportunities for Canadian businesses. Today, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, the Honourable Anita Anand, announced that Canada has recently expanded the Canada-Senegal Air Transport Agreement. The expanded agreement with Senegal includes: The right for airlines of either country to operate direct flights to any destination in the other country's territory. A capacity allowance of 14 weekly passenger flights and 10 weekly all-cargo flights for the airlines of each country. Significant operating flexibility for all-cargo services. Airlines can begin offering services under this new agreement immediately. Quotes "By allowing direct flights between our two countries, this agreement will significantly strengthen our bilateral relations with Senegal. It paves the way to new oppor

© 2025   Created by Darren Marsland.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service